Russian student choosing between Princeton & Yale

Lafalum84
Fri, 27 Apr 2007 08:53:54 +0000

I received this message by mistake. I’m posting it here, maybe some of you can help this girl out? Thanks

Greetings!
I am asking you for help as I assume your child was choosing from HYP (from forum messages, sorry if I made a mistake). Please, give me a bit f advise to make a more informed decision. I was accepted into both Yale and Princeton. I almost made up my mind that Humanities make me choose Yale (not overall, but Anthro/Film double major + Humanities, or Humanities/Film), so it comes down to school atmosphere. I used to think these subjects were not as brilliant, but good at Princeton - and here is what Princetonians tell me:
‘Film doesn’t exist at Princeton’ (I saw only 5 courses and 3 prof’s)
‘Anthro has old theoretical basis at Princeton, and is only slowly developing’;
Yale is where I should probably go, then, since academics is what I come to college for, really. Yet, I am trying to remain critical and would really appreciate your opinion on HUMANITIES, and ACADEMIC ATMOSPHERE at Princeton. This might help me make a more informed choice of Yale, or change my mind towards Princeton, may be.

Could you, please, tell me if you know about the level of Humanistic Studies at Princeton, and students’ impressions? It is smaller, but might be just as good as Yale’s, so I don’t know…
I catch myself thinking: I WON’T FIND CLASSES TO TAKE AT PRINCETON!!! – Yet, perhaps, I am looking too specifically at what I want to do in life – Film, Cultural Analysis, Humanities…
What is the school atmosphere? I LOVE Princeton, but not sure it’s my fit. I believe it would be of some help to describe myself: do I sound like a Princeton student (or Yale?) if you can judge?:
Academics: ARTISTIC and CULTURAL (Film and Literature as form; Cult. Anthropology, Area Studies, Psychology, Traditions as content - perhaps, making documentary films about European, Russian, US, the Eastern culture - celebrating diversity – ‘artistic journalism’) - this seems like a purely humanities set. I was drawn by WWS of Int. Affairs first, but I have heard it’s VERY policy-focused and ignores culture. – speaks for Yale? ‘People at Yale are very into Politics, English, and Theatre’ – and who is into Art and Culture, Princeton or Yale???
Social: VERY independent (discuss academics, NOT personal matters). Princeton is a Community, a big Group of Groups, it seems to me very SOCIAL, where you HAVE to form relationships with your peers, discuss what’s going on in your soul. You can always find your niche, your group. – Do you HAVE to, at Princeton, HOW DO YOU THINK? I don’t enjoy being part of a group, forming close relationships, I prefer more business-like relations: discuss what we can share with each other of our academic/extracurr interests, and not go any further. I hardly imagine myself doing anything at the eating club but studying or debating/watching films – and that’s not what they do? =). - So, seems like I won’t like Princeton socially, right? But Yale residential colleges imply forming close relationships with your college, too? Fitzgerald wrote about Yale: ‘November, crisp, and energetic’ - so, I assume, independent?
Temperament: meditative, mature, slow - What I STRONGLY DISLIKE about Yale is vane competition and noise - That speaks for Princeton, with its quiet campus, conducive of meditation?
Values: democratic/liberal in the sense that I don’t care about people’s social status, what they wear, manners, etc. - but what they are inside and what they contribute to the world. - Yale? Or Princeton?
1 out of 4 for Princeton, probably.
Sorry for pouring so much on you - I just thought this would make a clear picture, rather than abstract questions.
I will appreciate much if you give your own impressions of Princetonians and Princeton spirit (vs. Yalies, if you can =) Here is how I see it:
competition purely with yourself,
learning for the sake of learning, quenching your intellectual thirst…
students can ponder over their work, walk around campus, meditate
spiritually aristocratic
binding to be part of a group, socialize, conform???
Am I close? Please, correct me if I’m wrong.
Actually, I would even more appreciate comments on academic atmosphere – this is CRUCIAL.
Citing a Princeton alumnus, there are MAJOR drawbacks:
‘closed academic environment,
static and self-content, stuffy,
purely learning for the sake of learning’

– is there ANY basis for this, even if it’s exaggerated?

I almost decided Yale. Yet, would appreciate PRO-PRINCETON opinions to judge my choices critically. If my program is much less-developed at Princeton, then perhaps I would be more unique, get more attention from professors, take more graduate courses?.. Yet, I am not sure it is worth it if Anthro/Humanities dep-ts at Princeton are not well-established, and I am not a clearly Princeton-type person? Thank you so much for the time you took to listen and respond! Your opinion might be crucial to my decision. It would be great if you responded before April 30, decision time.
With gratitude, Eva Koklina, Russia